NOTES BIOLOGY FORM ONE NOTES - FULL NOTES

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BASIC CONCEPTS AND TERMINOLOGIES IN BIOLOGY​

The term Biology comes from two Greek words, “Bios” that means Life and “Logos” that means study. Therefore;
· Biology is the branch of science that deals with the study of life. A person who studies biology is called a Biologist.
· Biology is also defined as the study of life and living things. The living things are also called organisms. They include plants, animals, fungi and micro-organism.
· Microorganisms are very small living things such as bacteria and some protozoans which cannot be seen with the naked eyes.

What is Life?

Life is the quality or state that distinguishes living things from dead or non-living things.

The following are the characteristics of living:
(i) Movement. It is the change of position of the whole organism or part of the organism. All living things can move.
(ii) Reproduction. This is the process by which living things produce new organisms of their own kind. All living things make more of their own kind.
(iii) Sensitivity or Irritability. All living things are sensitive to their surroundings. They are aware of what is happening around them. This is because they have special sense organs such as eyes, skin, tongue, nose and ears.
(iv) Growth. This is the increase in size and weight of organism. All living things get bigger and repair damage.
(v) Respiration. This is the breaking down of food to release energy. All living things take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide
(vi) Excretion. This the process of removing waste products from the body. All living things remove toxic substances from their body.
(vii) Nutrition. This is the process of obtaining food, digesting it and using it to release energy. All living things feed by taking in nutrients in order to obtain energy.

Table 1: The differences between living things and non-living things.​

Living things​	Non-living things
They can respire	They do not respire
They can grow	They do not grow
They can respond to their surroundings	They do not respond to their surroundings
They can reproduce	They do not reproduce
They can excrete	They do not excrete
They can feed	They do not feed
They can move	They do not move

What is the basic unit of life?
§ A Cell is a basic unit of life. All things are made up of cells.
§ Cells are very small such that they cannot be seen with naked eyes. They can only be seen using the microscope.
§ The microscope is an instrument used to enlarge very small things so that they can be easily seen and examined. The process of enlarging very small things is called magnification.​

THE BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY​

The main branches of biology include Zoology, Botany and Microbiology.

MAIN BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY​
Zoology​ § The study of animals.	Botany​ § The study of plants.	Microbiology § The study of microbes (microorganisms).
§ A person who deals with the study of animals is called zoologist.	§ A person who deals with the study of plants is called botanist.	§ A person who deals with the study of microbes is called microbiologist.

Other Branches of Biology That Deal with Different Aspects of Living Things​

Branch	Area of study​
(i) Anatomy	Body structures and functions.
(ii) Cytology	Structure, composition and function of cells.
(iii) Ecology	Relationship between organisms and their environment.
(iv) Entomology	Insects.
(v) Genetics	Heredity and variation in organisms.
(vi) Immunology	Immune system

(vii) Mycology	Fungi
(viii) Parasitology	Parasites and their effects on living organisms.
(ix) Taxonomy	Classification system (classification of organisms).
(x) Physiology	Physical and chemical processes taking place within living organisms (Body function).

 

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TOPICS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY

CHAPTER 2: SCIENTIFIC PROCESSES

CHAPTER 3: CELL STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION

CHAPTER 4: CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS

CHAPTER 5: VIRUSES AND MAJOR GROUPS OF LIVING THINGS

CHAPTER 6: NUTRITION IN PLANTS

Importance of Studying Biology
(i) It helps us to gain knowledge about our environment and how to improve it.
(ii) It is a foundation for specializing in careers, such as nursing, medicine, and teaching.
(iii) It helps us to acquire research skills, such as measuring, observing, analysis and conclusion making skills.
(iv) It helps us to identify and group things which make it easier to learn more about them.
(v) It enables researchers to produce improved breeds of crops and animals. Therefore, biology helps to improve food production.
(vi) It enables scientists to come up with the ways of preventing and treating diseases.

(vii) It encourages international cooperation in biological researches. For example, scientists all over the world cooperate to find cure for diseases such as Ebola, AIDS and COVID-19.​

(viii) It helps to answer important questions such as what do living things need, how plants move, when and where life originated.
(ix) It helps us to avoid ourselves from magical beliefs, superstitions and other traditional taboos.
(x) It helps to appreciate the nature and many interesting things about different organisms.
(xi) It helps to understand our bodies.
(xii) It helps to improve the standard of living in human and care for animals and plants.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BIOLOGY AND OTHER SCIENCE FIELDS​

1. Agriculture:
Agriculture is concerned with production of useful plants and animals through farming system. Biology research findings on crops and livestock have led to improved agriculture production. For example; developed breeds of crops and animals that mature quickly and produce high yields. For instance, indigenous breeds of chicken start laying eggs when they are about eight (8) months old while the improved breeds known as layers can start laying eggs as early as five (5) months.
2. Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of preserving health and treating illness. It is also important in the formulation of vaccines and drugs that are able to fight and cure diseases. The study of anatomy helps doctors to learn the structure of the body and how it functions. Biological knowledge will also help them to offer education to the patients on how to prevent themselves from the diseases.
3. Nutrition
Nutrition is the science which deals with food and how the body uses it. Biology provides knowledge which is used by dieticians to determine the kind of diets suitable for people with different health needs.
4. Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the profession concerned with the preparation, distribution and use of drugs. The drugs are made depending on the chemical composition of the body of an organism and how they can react with them. Therefore, the knowledge of biology helps to know the effects of drugs on living things (pharmacology) and possible precautions to be taken.
Note: Pharmacy also refers to a place where drugs are prepared or sold. Members of this profession are called pharmacists.
5. Forestry
Forestry deals with creating, managing and conserving forests. A forest is a large area of land covered with trees. Biologist have developed different trees that grow in dry areas and different fast-growing trees. Therefore, biology helps in improving the qualities of the trees.​